The Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) MBRS RISE Program was funded in 1998 by NIGMS to provide support for student research development all collegiate levels. The current RISE Program continues this support and has established activities in faculty development and institutional development. The proposed MBRS RISE Equipment Supplement will further strengthen the research enterprise at MSM, and provide addition resources that will enrich the research development of our students. The objectives of the Equipment Supplement are to: 1) acquire the equipment that will allow for the development of two multi-user Core Facilities (Cell and Tissue Engineering and Molecular Histology); 2) enhance the research infrastructure of MSM which will strengthen the research capabilities of MBRS-supported and other students and faculty; 3) enrich the research training and educational capabilities of the MBRS RISE Program by integrating tissue engineering and molecular histology into the overall training efforts; 4) develop an effective evaluation plan to access the overall impact of these enhancements on research progress and training efforts. These objectives coincide directly with MSM's goal to "Initiate selective efforts to update and maintain research equipment, facilities, and technology to enhance investigator productivity", which is a primary component of the Strategic Plan for the institution. [unreadable] [unreadable] Development of a centralized Cell and Tissue Engineering Core Facility will provide MSM with the capability to conduct unique and cuffing-edge studies that is not presently available to MSM investigators. This Core Facility would provide support for the cell and tissue engineering research efforts of several MBRS SCORE investigators, as well as, provide support for other MSM researchers and students. The Molecular Histology Core Facility will provide a much-needed basic and specialized service to the MSM research-training environment, which is not presently available. The Core Facility is an efficient way to provide both routine histology processing, as well as more specialized histochemical, immunohistochemical and in situ techniques to MSM investigators and student researchers. [unreadable] [unreadable]